Paris
AP
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French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that two French nationals held for more than three years on espionage charges had been released from an Iranian prison, a claim that the Parisian government said was unsubstantiated.
President Macron expressed “great relief” at the release of Cecile Kohler, 41, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72.
“We welcome this first step,” Macron wrote to X, adding that dialogue with Iranian authorities was continuing to allow him to return to France “as soon as possible.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault said on the X show that Kohler and Paris are “safe” at the French residence in Tehran while awaiting their “final release.”
Kohler and Parris were arrested in May 2022 during a visit to Iran. The Paris government had condemned their detention as “unjust and baseless”.
Relatives of Kohler and Paris recently described their despair after receiving unusual phone calls from both detainees.
Iranian media reported last month that a court sentenced the two men to decades in prison on charges of spying.
Iran’s judicial news agency Mizan reported that Tehran’s Revolutionary Court handed down preliminary judgments against two French nationals, without naming them, on charges of “French espionage” and “cooperation with Israel.” The Fars semi-official later identified them as Cecil Kohler and Jack Paris, and said the court imposed cumulative prison terms totaling 63 years on multiple counts.
Western countries have accused Iran of using foreign prisoners as bargaining chips, a charge the Iranian government denies.
